Usually I just have to look at my fingernails to know how much money I have.
I've been doing massage therapy as a support job for almost five years now. As a therapist, I have to keep my fingernails pretty short so I don't end up incorporating accidental acupuncture into my massage sessions. So I generally trim them or file them down every couple of days, or even every other day if I'm working a lot.
That also means I have a built in warning system when my funds are about to dip. If I notice my fingernails getting a little long, it means I haven't worked much lately and I haven't had that built-in reminder to trim them.
But now that I'm about to start school, it just occurred to me that I can do whatever I want with my fingernails! I could grow them or paint them or... well, I guess those are the two main things I could do. They're just fingernails after all. But still!
And I might. I might try growing them out to a nice girly length and painting them a nice girly color.
I guess I'll also have to start checking my bank balance at the ATM like a normal person.
Til tomorrow!
Showing posts with label MFA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MFA. Show all posts
July 9, 2011
July 8, 2011
Fact #363: Be honest, be brave
That's going to be my mantra for the next two years.
In just a little over a month, I'll be starting classes in my MFA program. It's gonna be crazy and wonderful and intense. I can't even quite imagine yet how it'll feel to be knee-deep in the program. But as long as I hold onto those things, as long as I remember to bring them back when they start to slip away, I think I'll be a-ok.
It's easy to hide. It's easy to bluff or fake your way. It's hard to be open, accountable, honest. It's scary. But it's how you get to the good stuff.
So when things get challenging and I just want to lock myself in my house and eat froyo all day and never come out, these are the words I'll give myself:
Be honest, be brave.
Til tomorrow!
In just a little over a month, I'll be starting classes in my MFA program. It's gonna be crazy and wonderful and intense. I can't even quite imagine yet how it'll feel to be knee-deep in the program. But as long as I hold onto those things, as long as I remember to bring them back when they start to slip away, I think I'll be a-ok.
It's easy to hide. It's easy to bluff or fake your way. It's hard to be open, accountable, honest. It's scary. But it's how you get to the good stuff.
So when things get challenging and I just want to lock myself in my house and eat froyo all day and never come out, these are the words I'll give myself:
Be honest, be brave.
Til tomorrow!
May 8, 2011
Fact #301: I'll say this one time...
In less than two months I'm leaving to go to school in Houston. And I'm a little scared.
It's the first time I've moved anywhere totally, completely on my own. I spent a year in London during my undergrad, but that was really more of a long vacation. When I moved to Chicago I had a network of college friends. I moved to Pittsburgh with Freddie.
And now I'm moving to Texas by myself. I know friends-of-friends who've offered to help me find a place to live and show me around. And once school starts, I'll be surrounded by a group of people pretty much nonstop.
But first, the move -- so far away from everything and everyone I know. So far outside of my mid-western culture. So hot. So humid. Finding a place to live, navigating a new city. Finding a way to make it feel like home.
So it's a little scary. And I don't mind admitting that, mostly because I can immediately follow it with, "I'm a big girl. I do okay."
Besides, if I remember correctly, I wasn't all that super stoked about moving to Pittsburgh. I may have spent the first couple of months here bemoaning the fact that my 'street' was a glorified alley, mocking the nonsensical roadways and poorly placed signage that are everywhere in this city, and bitching about the fact that I couldn't buy beer from a grocery store like a normal person.
But I've come to love Pittsburgh so much. For realsies. It grew on me like a giant city-shaped wart. I'll be back, I promise. I'll be back for a latte from Big Dog, for a beer from The Library, for brunch at Zenith. Hopefully I'll be back to work with some of the great theatre companies out here. I'll be back.
But first, time to bust out the shorts and flip flops, and figure out what the hell to do with my hair in humidity.
Til tomorrow!
It's the first time I've moved anywhere totally, completely on my own. I spent a year in London during my undergrad, but that was really more of a long vacation. When I moved to Chicago I had a network of college friends. I moved to Pittsburgh with Freddie.
And now I'm moving to Texas by myself. I know friends-of-friends who've offered to help me find a place to live and show me around. And once school starts, I'll be surrounded by a group of people pretty much nonstop.
But first, the move -- so far away from everything and everyone I know. So far outside of my mid-western culture. So hot. So humid. Finding a place to live, navigating a new city. Finding a way to make it feel like home.
So it's a little scary. And I don't mind admitting that, mostly because I can immediately follow it with, "I'm a big girl. I do okay."
Besides, if I remember correctly, I wasn't all that super stoked about moving to Pittsburgh. I may have spent the first couple of months here bemoaning the fact that my 'street' was a glorified alley, mocking the nonsensical roadways and poorly placed signage that are everywhere in this city, and bitching about the fact that I couldn't buy beer from a grocery store like a normal person.
But I've come to love Pittsburgh so much. For realsies. It grew on me like a giant city-shaped wart. I'll be back, I promise. I'll be back for a latte from Big Dog, for a beer from The Library, for brunch at Zenith. Hopefully I'll be back to work with some of the great theatre companies out here. I'll be back.
But first, time to bust out the shorts and flip flops, and figure out what the hell to do with my hair in humidity.
Til tomorrow!
May 6, 2011
Fact #299: It's fun being good at stuff
The difficult should become habitual, the habitual, easy, the easy, beautiful. -- S.M. Volonski (from Stanislavski)It always cracks me up when a massage client says with surprise, "Wow, you found all my knots!" Um, of course I did. I'm a trained professional.
But when I think about it, that actually means a lot.
I remember a moment early on in my MT training program when the instructor was teaching us how to feel imbalances in the body. I was working on one of my fellow students and he asked me which side of their back was more restricted. I moved my hands around in circles (very much like the Karate Kid practicing his wax on/wax off) then I randomly guessed it was the left side. Honestly, I had no idea.
Well, I do now. After massaging hundreds of people, after working on thousands of muscles, my hands feel things totally differently. I don't even have to think about it consciously, it's second nature now -- your knots are like magnets to my fingers.
That's the fun of getting really good at something. At first it's hard, but you practice and you practice until it's in your bones. And it becomes easy. Then it becomes something else. It becomes intuitive. It becomes beautiful.
On a not-entirely-unrelated note, I'm so ridiculously, amazingly excited that I get to study acting non-stop for the next two years! (Acting and massage, people. I will always find a way to connect them.)
Til tomorrow!
May 4, 2011
Fact #297: Earmarks
As I work my way through my Monster Reading List for school, I write down certain passages that I want to remember. Especially since I've got so many books to get through, I feel like it'll help keep everything from blurring together if I have a reference for the words that really struck me. Like these:
Til tomorrow!
To an actor a word is not just a sound, it is the evocation of images. So when you are in verbal intercourse on the stage, speak not so much to the ear as to the eye. -- StanislavskiYah, I like that.
Til tomorrow!
April 19, 2011
Fact #282: Preparation for being a broke-ass student
I got all these overripe bananas from the grocery store yesterday...
...for a DOLLAR!!! Whaaaa?!
I froze them in chunks and will use them to make delicious smoothies (and possibly also delicious banana bread). For a DOLLAR!!
Take that, ramen.
Til tomorrow!
...for a DOLLAR!!! Whaaaa?!
I froze them in chunks and will use them to make delicious smoothies (and possibly also delicious banana bread). For a DOLLAR!!
Take that, ramen.
Til tomorrow!
April 10, 2011
Fact #273: What's the difference between Pittsburgh and Houston?
This.
(Well, probably a few other things, too.)
Til tomorrow!
(Well, probably a few other things, too.)
Til tomorrow!
April 5, 2011
Fact #268: Number 13
My class at UH will be the class of 2013. Oooo!
Luckily, the only thing I'm superstitious about is pennies that are tails up. (You will never, ever see me pick up a penny that isn't heads up. And I'm poor.)
I like the sound of 2013. It sounds like a good year. Plus, we'll have made it past 2012. (Woo hoo! Thanks, John Cusack!)
I actually think it's cool that some people consider 13 an unlucky number and others consider it a lucky number. It's like you get to pick a side. Are you pro-13 or anti-13?
It also cracks me up how a lot of hotels still don't have a 13th floor. (Don't tell those suckers on the '14th' floor!)
There are a lot of cool things about the number 13.
So here's to the lucky class of 2013!
Til tomorrow.
Luckily, the only thing I'm superstitious about is pennies that are tails up. (You will never, ever see me pick up a penny that isn't heads up. And I'm poor.)
I like the sound of 2013. It sounds like a good year. Plus, we'll have made it past 2012. (Woo hoo! Thanks, John Cusack!)
I actually think it's cool that some people consider 13 an unlucky number and others consider it a lucky number. It's like you get to pick a side. Are you pro-13 or anti-13?
It also cracks me up how a lot of hotels still don't have a 13th floor. (Don't tell those suckers on the '14th' floor!)
There are a lot of cool things about the number 13.
So here's to the lucky class of 2013!
Til tomorrow.
March 31, 2011
Fact #263: 100 words
I have to write a 100 word bio this weekend.
How do you tell someone about yourself in 100 words? Which parts do you put in? Which parts do you leave out? How do you fit in all the hilarious catchphrases you've made up?
On the one hand, 100 words seems very limiting. But on the other hand, it demands focus. If I had 1,000 words, I'd probably use them all. My words would be like goldfishes that grow and grow to fit their tank.
One of my favorite lessons in writing is that every word you write should serve the story. And not just any story. This particular story. And even though my bio isn't a made-up story, it's still a story about me. Not my whole life story. Just a snapshot. A perspective.
So what snapshot do I want to take?
The tattoo on my ribs says 'specify'. I think that's a pretty good place to start.
Til tomorrow!
How do you tell someone about yourself in 100 words? Which parts do you put in? Which parts do you leave out? How do you fit in all the hilarious catchphrases you've made up?
On the one hand, 100 words seems very limiting. But on the other hand, it demands focus. If I had 1,000 words, I'd probably use them all. My words would be like goldfishes that grow and grow to fit their tank.
One of my favorite lessons in writing is that every word you write should serve the story. And not just any story. This particular story. And even though my bio isn't a made-up story, it's still a story about me. Not my whole life story. Just a snapshot. A perspective.
So what snapshot do I want to take?
The tattoo on my ribs says 'specify'. I think that's a pretty good place to start.
Til tomorrow!
March 22, 2011
Fact #254: Redefining productivity
I slept in a little later than I'd planned today. (Maybe it had something to do with those beers last night...)
Now I'm sitting at Big Dog -- drinking coffee, reading plays and listing stuff on craigslist. I've been here for almost 4 hours. I'm on my second cup of coffee. The oatmeal I had for breakfast is starting to wear off. My tummy is growling and I'm verging on over-caffeination.
I should get some lunch soon, but I'm holding out for froyo -- I have to go to the library later to restock my reading supply, and the library just so happens to be within the froyo perimeter. So I really have no choice.
It's funny, I can't quite get used to feeling productive when I sit around all day reading. I have a pretty long 'to do' list right now, and I tend to be a roll-up-my-sleeves-and-get-it-done kind of person. So it always feels strange to roll up my sleeves... then curl up on the couch with a cup of coffee or glass of wine and read a book.
Not that I'm complaining. I could totally get used to this. :)
Til tomorrow!
Now I'm sitting at Big Dog -- drinking coffee, reading plays and listing stuff on craigslist. I've been here for almost 4 hours. I'm on my second cup of coffee. The oatmeal I had for breakfast is starting to wear off. My tummy is growling and I'm verging on over-caffeination.
I should get some lunch soon, but I'm holding out for froyo -- I have to go to the library later to restock my reading supply, and the library just so happens to be within the froyo perimeter. So I really have no choice.
It's funny, I can't quite get used to feeling productive when I sit around all day reading. I have a pretty long 'to do' list right now, and I tend to be a roll-up-my-sleeves-and-get-it-done kind of person. So it always feels strange to roll up my sleeves... then curl up on the couch with a cup of coffee or glass of wine and read a book.
Not that I'm complaining. I could totally get used to this. :)
Til tomorrow!
March 19, 2011
Fact #251: But, where am I supposed to sit?
Sometime last week, between my school and Freddie's job news, I flipped out sprang into action.
All of these big unknowns had suddenly become known. And suddenly, all of the zen-like patience I had exhibited as I waited for news just melted out of me. Now I could finally DO STUFF!!
So I immediately listed all of our furniture on craigslist.
Then I sold some of it.
Then I looked at where my couch used to be.
Then I looked at a calendar.
Then I thought, "Wait, where am I supposed to sit for the next three months??"
Yes, it may have been a mistake to immediately start dismantling an apartment that I'm still planning on living in til July.
But then again, I'd rather get an early start on the selling/packing/cleaning, especially since there's a lot to get rid of. No matter how much stuff you think you don't have (there's probably a more eloquent way to say that, but I refuse to think of one), as soon as you start moving your furniture around, things just explode out of the woodwork. Like creepy bugs in a horror movie.
Stage one of the removal of random crap is to take away its hiding place. So, bye bye furniture!
Besides, I do have an incredibly ugly orange easy chair that I'm pretty sure I'll never sell in a million years. So I guess that's what I'll sit on for the next three months.
Til tomorrow!
All of these big unknowns had suddenly become known. And suddenly, all of the zen-like patience I had exhibited as I waited for news just melted out of me. Now I could finally DO STUFF!!
So I immediately listed all of our furniture on craigslist.
Then I sold some of it.
Then I looked at where my couch used to be.
Then I looked at a calendar.
Then I thought, "Wait, where am I supposed to sit for the next three months??"
Yes, it may have been a mistake to immediately start dismantling an apartment that I'm still planning on living in til July.
But then again, I'd rather get an early start on the selling/packing/cleaning, especially since there's a lot to get rid of. No matter how much stuff you think you don't have (there's probably a more eloquent way to say that, but I refuse to think of one), as soon as you start moving your furniture around, things just explode out of the woodwork. Like creepy bugs in a horror movie.
Stage one of the removal of random crap is to take away its hiding place. So, bye bye furniture!
Besides, I do have an incredibly ugly orange easy chair that I'm pretty sure I'll never sell in a million years. So I guess that's what I'll sit on for the next three months.
Til tomorrow!
March 18, 2011
Fact #250: When I'm in Houston...
...I'll go...
and HERE!
Not that I'll have tons of free time once I start classes. But it's nice to know that when I do have time, I'll have places to go.
Til tomorrow.
and HERE!Not that I'll have tons of free time once I start classes. But it's nice to know that when I do have time, I'll have places to go.
Til tomorrow.
March 15, 2011
Fact #247: I am the ruler of craigslist
Apartment hunting in cities you've never been to is fun because you have absolutely no frame of reference, no idea where the neighborhoods are, and no clue what a reasonable rent is for the area.
Wait, did I say fun? I meant hard.
But I can do it! I've done it before, and I'll do it again. Plus, I'll sell all my furniture on craigslist here, and buy new furniture off craigslist there. Because I am. The ruler. Of craigslist.
(Just to make sure we're all on the same page, I'm the queen of Bananagrams and the ruler of craigslist. In a couple years I'll also be a master of fine arts. I'll get some business cards made up.)
Til tomorrow!
Wait, did I say fun? I meant hard.
But I can do it! I've done it before, and I'll do it again. Plus, I'll sell all my furniture on craigslist here, and buy new furniture off craigslist there. Because I am. The ruler. Of craigslist.
(Just to make sure we're all on the same page, I'm the queen of Bananagrams and the ruler of craigslist. In a couple years I'll also be a master of fine arts. I'll get some business cards made up.)
Til tomorrow!
March 14, 2011
Fact #246: My giant reading list
I went to the library today to pick up a couple of books and several plays. And that barely puts a dent in the giant reading list I have to get through before August.
I'm proud to report that a good number of the books/plays on the list are ones I've already read. But there are still plenty that I haven't. And some of the ones I've read before are probably due for a re-read anyway, to get them back fresh in my head.
Tomorrow I've got a chair massage gig at 7:30. (Too early for massage? Apparently not.) Then I'll grab a spot by the fireplace at Big Dog, curl up in a big chair with a few plays, and spend the afternoon reading and overcaffeinating.
I can just feel myself getting smarter already!
Til tomorrow.
I'm proud to report that a good number of the books/plays on the list are ones I've already read. But there are still plenty that I haven't. And some of the ones I've read before are probably due for a re-read anyway, to get them back fresh in my head.
Tomorrow I've got a chair massage gig at 7:30. (Too early for massage? Apparently not.) Then I'll grab a spot by the fireplace at Big Dog, curl up in a big chair with a few plays, and spend the afternoon reading and overcaffeinating.
I can just feel myself getting smarter already!
Til tomorrow.
March 11, 2011
Fact #243: Guess where I'm going to be living in the fall?
Here!
No, your eyes do not deceive you. That is Houston, Texas. I'm going to be aTexan temporary resident of Texas! I hope they have good beer there.
Til tomorrow.
No, your eyes do not deceive you. That is Houston, Texas. I'm going to be a
Til tomorrow.
February 10, 2011
Fact #214: I'm back!
Grad school auditions: check.
Yaaaaaaay!!!
It was a great trip! Lots of auditions -- some stressful, some wonderful and illuminating and energizing. I learned a lot about where I am as an actor, and what I'm really looking for in my training.
I also got to spend some quality time with good friends, including my awesome hosts. I didn't go out too much during the week, but I had some free time after my last auditions on Thursday -- during which time I managed to consume two delicious Belgian beers, half a basket of French fries, two entrees (I couldn't choose!) and two pieces of cake (I shared!). Yum. So worth it.
Now back to work!
Til tomorrow.
Yaaaaaaay!!!
It was a great trip! Lots of auditions -- some stressful, some wonderful and illuminating and energizing. I learned a lot about where I am as an actor, and what I'm really looking for in my training.
I also got to spend some quality time with good friends, including my awesome hosts. I didn't go out too much during the week, but I had some free time after my last auditions on Thursday -- during which time I managed to consume two delicious Belgian beers, half a basket of French fries, two entrees (I couldn't choose!) and two pieces of cake (I shared!). Yum. So worth it.
Now back to work!
Til tomorrow.
February 9, 2011
Fact #213: Puppy 'pause' (I don't care what you say, puns are great)
Please excuse me while I audition for grad school.
In the meantime, look at this puppy!
Note to puppy: control your butt.
Til tomorrow!
In the meantime, look at this puppy!
Note to puppy: control your butt.Til tomorrow!
February 8, 2011
Fact #212: Puppy 'pause' (paws?)
Please excuse me while I audition for grad school.
In the meantime, look at these cute puppies!
They both seem way too calm about this.
Til tomorrow!
In the meantime, look at these cute puppies!
They both seem way too calm about this.Til tomorrow!
February 7, 2011
Fact #211: Puppy 'pause' (get it?)
Please excuse me while I audition for grad school.
In the meantime, look at this puppy!
In this scenario, the monkey is me.
Til tomorrow!
In the meantime, look at this puppy!
In this scenario, the monkey is me.Til tomorrow!
February 6, 2011
Fact #210: Puppy 'pause' (haha, punny!)
Please excuse me while I audition for grad school.
In the meantime, look at this puppy!
This puppy can fly! Also, I'm not 100% sure it's actually a puppy.
Til tomorrow!
In the meantime, look at this puppy!
This puppy can fly! Also, I'm not 100% sure it's actually a puppy.Til tomorrow!
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